5 tips for talking to Millenials

Back in the days of the American Revolution, we have no doubt some of the small talk of the founding fathers revolved around trying to effectively communicate with ye young upstarts, so, please Millennials, take no offense at this article.

Entrepreneur’s Kathleen Davis summed up the advice of William Pearson, Millenial and co-founder of mental_floss, about effectively communicating with today’s up-and-coming generation.

1. Don’t dumb down your message.
Millennials are goal setters, Pearson says. To understand their ambition, just look at their pop-culture heroes: overachievers like Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg. While the stereotype might be that this generation is irresponsible, he says, “Millennials start saving for retirement four years before Gen X did, and 10 years before baby boomers.”

To reach this ambitious generation, Pearson says that you should recognize their intelligence. Present information in a fast-paced way through social media and in a way that helps them feel like they are making progress towards their goals.

2. Include a bit of playfulness in your content.
Unlike the anti-establishment boomers or the slacker Gen Xers, millennials aren’t rebellious, Pearson says. They get along with their parents. The media they love is a combination of goofy, earnest and confident. Think Buzzfeed, Youtube and the recent explosion of kitten and puppy memes.

Tailor your messages with “quirk in an authentic voice,” he says. In other words, don’t be afraid of adding a little whimsy to your messaging, but be genuine about it. For example, mental_floss noticed the popularity of dog and bacon memes with their readers and started a successful reader-submitted short trivia section called Puppies Wearing Hats Eating Bacon Sharing Facts.